Times of Trenton Letters to the Editor - Feb. 18

Nicholas Kristof’s column “Birth control must be central to public health policy” (Feb. 15) argued that birth control should be a “pillar of public health policy” in America simply because of monetary convenience! His completely mercenary and materialistic perspective of the recent battle between the Obama administration and Catholic bishops over birth control is shallow and deplorable.

Mr. Kristof begins by assuming that contraception is a right of all Americans, without pausing to ask whether people should even be using it in the first place. The real issue is one of sexual morality and the dignity of the human person, not “bishops’ sensibilities.”

I, for one, am a Catholic woman who has never felt the need to use contraception and I do not appreciate those who try to force it down my throat! Let me speak on behalf of the “female” population by saying that I consider human life infinitely more valuable than my own convenience. And I have hundreds of friends and millions of fellow Catholics and people of good will who stand with me. We will not stand by and see our First Amendment rights trampled simply because it balances others’ checkbook more efficiently.

-- Molly Jameson,
Hamilton

Re-election: The great motivator

The “party of no” has finally agreed to extend the Social Security payroll tax cut and to extend benefits for the long-term unemployed.

Why now? Not because it’s the right thing to do, but because Congress has the lowest rating ever. More than 400 seats will be up for grabs in the next election. There it is in a nutshell.

They are not interested in their constituents and the welfare of this wonderful country, but in getting re-elected. They are so worried about that that they forgot they wanted to bring our president down, no matter what.

So, pay attention, American citizens. Stand up for what you believe in and make sure you let your representatives know how you feel.

It works!

-- Sally Tondreau,
Hamilton

Get out today and vote for fire budget

It’s that time of year again. Fire elections are today (why they didn’t move them to June or November is beyond me), and we have yet another budget increase in Fire District 9/Groveville. I’m not saying they don’t need a tax increase or that they do, but we voted it down last year and council had them take funds from the surplus to bring down the rate we are taxed. So this year, our board was forced to either make draconian budget cuts or increase the rate again. Tough choices, but that’s why they’re voted in, I guess.

The firefighters in District 9 also got a new contract this year, a four-year deal with across-the-board raises of 1 percent this and next year, and 2 percent the last two years of the contract, which is about in line with the rest of the public sector nowadays.

As an observer of this entity of local government, I realize that there needs to be funding to operate a firehouse, and the firefighters do a more than an ample job, as shown in the past two major storms that nearly crippled some towns around the state. That being said, it will be interesting to see which way the voters vote on this year’s fire budget in Groveville and the rest of the township. As family budgets get tighter and tighter, one can only hope to get more people involved in local government.

Finally , if they’re listening in the Statehouse: Let’s get fire elections moved to June or November!

For now, voters can get out to the polls and vote today, from 2 to 9 p.m.

-- John Maleski,
Hamilton

A visionary would have signed marriage equality bill

I was born and raised a Catholic in a conservative family and I actually think that voting for marriage equality ("Assembly says yes to gay marriage — Tough road lies ahead as supporters vow to fight Christie's promised veto," Feb. 17) is perfectly consistent with those values.

I am a friend of a gay family with a son, a growing American boy who has loving grandparents, cousins and friends. Most of them were raised Roman Catholic and would challenge anyone to distinguish this family from theirs. They would also laugh at the notion that their own family is “superior,” “special” or somehow “demeaned” or “threatened” by allowing this family's partners to finally tie the knot.

Like most people, they have come to realize that, contrary to what they learned in schoolyards decades ago, gay people are family members, friends, colleagues and neighbors and did not emerge out of thin air. They always shared the same dreams as everyone else, and there is no reason to deny them equality.

Gov. Chris Christie, who spoke eloquently for the Anti-Bullying Act, should know that putting marriage equality on the ballot would truly defeat the purpose of the act by allowing adults to bully others. It would be judged especially harshly by the young generation, who will write his legacy and soon decide who was an obstructionist and who was a leader and a visionary. Nothing forced the governor to veto the marriage equality bill.

Our state needs all the stability it can get for families as well as positive energy to forge ahead. This is what the marriage equality bill was about.

-- Hubert Josien, Ph.D.,
Jersey City

Arab world must make concessions

The letter “For its own safety, Israel must make concessions” (Feb. 11) is misguided and unrealistic. Open an atlas and notice that Israel is a fraction the size of the smallest Arab country. It has been in existence for less than 100 years, yet the energy of its people has gone into making the desert fertile, developing medical breakthroughs and enriching the world with many innovations.

Yet, the countries in the Arab world want Israel gone. Concessions will not placate them; they do not wish to live in peace and share a peace-driven economy.

Israel made concessions, and when Israel dropped her guard, families were killed and buses were bombed.

Let the Palestinians recognize that the surrounding massive countries must make concessions and take in the people who only want what was and will not recognize what is. It is time for them to recognize that peace will benefit them far more than years of anger and hatred.

Israel will not go away — not as a country or as a people. With a heritage that goes back 5,000 years, Israel wants to bring peace in the midst of turmoil, and will, if given the chance and the support of the world.

-- Phyllis Deal,
Hightstown

Find a way to stop the bloodshed

“NATO air strike kills 8 young Afghans” (Feb. 16) was a poignant article. The drones attacked and killed them because they “were seen as adult-sized and moving in a tactical fashion ... in a good position to attack” nearby NATO forces. There is no judge or jury to appeal to here, and no opportunity to explain or surrender. The eight youths were from a small village in Afghanistan that doesn’t even have a road to the outside world.

In the meantime, U.S. soldiers and contractors are killed and maimed every day. What a mess and what a tragedy. We should work harder to stop it. How can we stop ourselves from killing so many people, and having our strong warriors killed as well? There must be a way.